


Spring Creek (Full of Blood)

by JaeDragon777



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Siblings, Third Shinobi War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23270251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaeDragon777/pseuds/JaeDragon777
Summary: A Konoha kunoichi contemplates life during the Third Shinobi War
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Spring Creek (Full of Blood)

She watches, sprawled on the ground, as a leaf slowly spirals through the air as the wind tugs it along. It lands in the creek that runs through the training ground, and is swiftly yanked downstream. She trails her finger in the cool water, her eyes catching the silver glimmers of minnows flickering about in the depths. Beams of sunlight shine through the leaves, creating dappled patterns on her skin, nicked with scars from blades and burns. She lays there and breathes, listening to the burbling of the creek and the singing of the birds, enjoying this moment of peace before she must leave, to go back to the exhaustion, back to the grime and the grit of fighting and running, back to being sent on mission after mission with little to no break in between. 

She thinks of her brother in the Academy. Oh so small, barely tall enough to reach her hip, yet he is given a blade and taught where to aim at to ensure death. His head is filled with propaganda about the glorious Hokages of the past and the Will of Fire, unknowingly being conditioned to become a good little child soldier for the village. Wide, innocent eyes, not yet corrupted by the reality of their occupation, crinkled in a smile as he excitedly describes his day, bouncing by her side as they walk home. He rambles, enthusiastic about nearly every aspect of ninja training, and declares that he wants to become the strongest shinobi in the Elemental Nations. She simply smiles and encourages him, and refuses to think about blood drenched blades and concussive explosions. 

Their mother had died on a B-rank mission near the Land of Water when her brother was a toddler, so most of the memories of her had only come from pictures and stories. Since their mother was a tokubetsu jōnin that specialized in traps, she was rarely in the village when she was alive, having been sent away for months at a time, as trap masters had been in high demand. 

She remembers the dimples of her mother’s smile, the way her face lit up when she laughed. She sees her mother’s dark hair and cheekbones in the mirror every morning, and every time she sees her brother with his beautiful green eyes. She wishes to be a child again, to be back in that warm embrace. Longs for the time when she would return home to her mother’s cooking experiments: savory soups, sticky mochi, and delectable cakes. 

Now it’s just her father left, who’d been recently sent out with the squad headed to a border post about a week ago. He had left with a smile and a promise that he would hurry, putting on a brave face for her little brother as he cried for him to stay. She wasn’t fooled, though. She saw the way his hands trembled when he had come home from the Hokage’s office, heard the nearly silent sobs in the dead of night. She had put her pillow over her head, trying to swallow the wave of sorrow as tears dripped regardless. 

She must have fallen asleep in that bed of soft grass and leaf litter, warmed by the sun and weary from training, for her next moments are filled with unbridled terror.

Her nightmares are full of the piercing eyes of enemy shinobi, weapons gleaming and stalking her shadows: always there, always watching. Smoldering husks of towns and villages dot the razed land that once were full of life and joy. Battlefields full of bodies with gaping mouths and blank eyes, charred stumps and limbs from exploding tags and fire jutsus, and reeking wounds, infected and swollen. Civilians weep tears of blood, screaming, wailing, clawing at her arms for help, for mercy, only to be swallowed by the shadows. The whistling of flying kunai shriek around her; the screeching of metal-on-metal fills her ears as she stumbles, trying to get away from the chaos. The earth buckles around her feet, cracks and trenches appearing haphazardly, as weaponized wind surges behind her, carving through swaths of trees and people alike. Even the water is unsafe, roaring and twisting into a howling dragon, slamming towards her between one blink and the next. It crushes her body, rocks and chipped earth tearing through her skin, and drags her beneath the dark surface of the swirling tide. 

She wakes with a jerk, nausea making her head swim as she chokes on her breath, the harsh tang of iron coating the back of her throat. Her eyes scan the trees with frantic energy, and after a moment, she slumps back down with a sigh, heart still racing from the burst of adrenaline coursing through her veins. There’s a ringing in her ears as she lays there, breathing slowly as the birds continue to sing and life goes on around her. 

She wishes that the war would be over, wishes that her brother doesn’t have to grow up during this time of destruction. She wants to protect him from the horrors waiting outside the village walls, and wishes that he could stay innocent and safe forever. She briefly contemplates wrapping him up in a blanket and delivering him to their grandparents, who run a small pastry shop in the civilian district, before dismissing the idea immediately. He would feel trapped and unsatisfied with the monotonous life of a civilian, especially in a village full of ninja. She sighs, letting her muscles unwind and relax against the ground, and gazes up into the trees. 

She finds herself exhausted and wonders if it’s really all worth the trauma and heartbreak, the tears and grief, “for the good of the village.” However she remembers her little brother’s shining eyes as he looked at her with her hitai-ate on for the first time, and remembers all the love and devotion and awe that filled his gaze. She remembers his giggles and smiles, his hugs and antics. She feels determination well up inside of her, determination to protect that light, no matter the cost. She uses that vow to fuel the fire burning in her chest, and rises from the grass by the gurgling creek to prepare for the coming trials and tribulations of her next mission.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope y'all enjoyed this lil thing! It was a spur of the moment sorta deal and i just wrote it as it came to me, hehe. Feel free to tell me if you catch any mistakes, constructive criticism is appreciated!


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